John McCain made secret Syria trip to meet with US officials, Kurdish fighters

By KTAR.com | February 22, 2017 at 2:02 pmUPDATED: February 23, 2017 at 11:09 am

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) made a secret trip to Syria last week to meet with American military officials and Kurdish fighters.

McCain made the unannounced trip during a multi-national swing that took him from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, during which he discussed ways to dismantle the Islamic State terror group’s hold over the Middle East.

“McCain’s visit was a valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq,” a spokesman said in a statement.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the senator traveled to Kobani, a Syrian town that lies on the border with Turkey. The area has been controlled by Kurdish fighters for the past five years.